Any items that you think should be commonly available that are not?

[Adillo303]

My daughter was here over the weekend and she went to the gorcery store and stocked up on coctail sauce. She says that it is hard to find where she lives. I have heard of someonehaving trouble finding cheerios.

How about y'all? Is ther an item in your area that you would think as commonly available or a staple food that you fing hard to get?

AC

 

[LadyCook61]

Taylor Ham , also known as Pork Roll would be hard to get other than in NJ and Pa. that I know about.

 

[quicksilver]

Oh, that's funny, LC. I came here with the specific purpose of mentioning TAYLOR HAM!
My very fav thing! I can only get in 1 supermarket chain and they're not close.
Next, I would say, horseradish sauce by HEINZ. We carry their cocktail sauces, both regular and zesty, but not horseradish.
Great with turkey and roast beast.

 

[kitchenelf]

Duck breasts...fresh. REAL andouille sausage.

 

[GB]

Good cheese.

 

[Katie H]

Lots of things here. It's a very rural area here. Puts a real crimp in cooking.

 

[PieSusan]

It use to be hard to find key lime juice and gourmet baking chocolates. Now, I can.

The only thing that I wish that I could buy locally is first clear flour because shipping charges are so expensive at King Arthur Flour. Anyway, since I am allergic to rye flour, I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

I use to call my trips looking for specialty items or bakeware "my holy grails" and Andy use to also have a difficult time finding odd things. I recall that he was looking for herbes de Provence and I bought it for him when I saw it.

We have gotten lots better than we use to be. I still have to buy bakeware online sometimes. In fact, I am awaiting a package that is going to be sent on Tuesday.

 

[Toots]

Lots of things here. It's a very rural area here. Puts a real crimp in cooking.

The same here usually. I have to make a special trip over to Cincinnati or the north burbs to get a special ingredient.

 

[middie]

Key Limes, and Screaming Yellow Zonkers

 

[Katie H]

Key Limes, and Screaming Yellow Zonkers

Omigosh!!! I'd forgotten about Screaming Yellow Zonkers. One of our sons practically lived on them when he was a teen.

 

[Barbara L]

When I moved from California to South Carolina, I was surprised to find out that a lot of my favorite brands weren't sold here. Three that I really miss are Del Monte pickles, Rosarita refried beans, and Bob's Big Boy Blue Cheese salad dressing.

Barbara

 

[ndnstarr]

fresh raw green peanuts.. i love to make boiled peanuts.. not many people in new mexico have heard of boiled peanuts. my mom even goes as far is to shipping me the dang peanuts from florida.

 

[PieSusan]

Key Limes, and Screaming Yellow Zonkers

I have seen key limes at Heinen's and the Miles Farmer's market as well as their juice.

Screaming Yellow Zonkers were discontinued. See
Screaming Yellow Zonkers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[sattie]

Tahini.... I'm still looking!

 

[marigeorge]

Fresh fish/seafood..........no one in this area has a clue that what they sell as fresh, I wouldn't even dare give my kitties!

 

[AllenOK]

Cable TV and Cable Internet! I live 1,000 ft from the end of the cable line. Cox refuses to extend the line to our house unless A) We get a petition signed with 30 signatures of folks who will get cable, or B) We cough up $20K.

That said, KE, I hear you on the decent Andouillie (sp?). The stuff we get at work is OK, but the stuff available at the grocery stores is pretty junky. I'd really like to find a Chorizo that I like. I have gone so far as to go to a couple different Mexican grocery stores and tried their house-made bulk Chorizo. Way to much white vinegar. I'll probably have to make my own, using a recipe that calls for red wine vinegar.

While I was up in MI, I couldn't find gumbo file powder to save my life, until I talked to the spice vendor at the country club I worked at.

I have noticed that even within the Tulsa metro area, some grocery stores OF THE SAME CHAIN will carry items more suited to that locality. The place we lived at when we first moved back has a booming Latino population, as well as a booming Asian population. The Wally World in that area has a huge ethnic aisle. I distinctly remember canned tomatillo puree. I tried finding some at the Wally World in the small town we live in now, and nope, not there. Heck, they are lucky to have FRESH tomatillos. I can't even get a local beer at the local Wally World. However, if I go to the Wally World on my way to work, they have it. Go figure.....

 

[Saphellae]

I used to be able to go down to the depanneur (aka convenience store) at the bottom of our building and pick up a couple bottles of our favorite wine when we lived in Montreal. The laws in Ontario are different and they only sell wine and alcohol at government run establishments called LCBO and the Beer Store. In Montreal you could get wine and beer until 11pm at night. Here, 9-8pm.

Not that we're big drinkers... anyways lol. Nick managed to find me a vanilla bean at a big market in downtown Montreal when we lived there. I haven't had a chance to explore here yet, but I've seen a few butcher shops I'd like to check out.

The vanilla bean is currently sitting in a pot of sugar Mmmmm. Vanilla Sugar!

 

[RobsanX]

My daughter was here over the weekend and she went to the gorcery store and stocked up on coctail sauce. She says that it is hard to find where she lives. I have heard of someonehaving trouble finding cheerios.

How about y'all? Is ther an item in your area that you would think as commonly available or a staple food that you fing hard to get?

AC

Tell your daughter to buy a bottle of ketchup, a jar of horseradish, a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, and a bottle of Tabasco.

1/4 cup of ketchup
1/2 tsp horseradish
10 or so squirts of Worcestershire sauce
2-5 squirts of Tabasco

Stir well, and she'll never buy another bottle of cocktail sauce again...

Okra is hard to find in WI. I'm originally from Oklahoma, and fried okra is like it's own food group there. Within the last year or so, the local stores have started carrying frozen okra, and okra pickles. Okra pickles, yum!

 

[deelady]

Freshly baked pits bread or flat bread

 

[PanchoHambre]

PA has dreadful liquor laws so that....

and RIPE avocados.... in Texas they were like 4 for a buck... here you can get one baseball hard fruit that may or may not resemble an avocado for 4 bucks....

and cilantro that does not look like its been through the laundry.

oh and my annoyance for this weekend.... more than one type of Italian Rice... the only variety in the grocery was Arborio from Texas... not that theres anything wrong with Texas but I would like some variety.